March 4, 2014 (Washington, DC) – Today, The ESOP Association expressed disappointment once more over a provision in the President’s Fiscal Year 2015 budget that pertains to employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs). Included in the budget document is a provision to ‘eliminate the deduction for dividends on stock of publicly-traded corporations held in certain ESOPs.’

“Obviously, we are disappointed this provision has been included in the President’s budget,” said ESOP Association President, J. Michael Keeling. “We are baffled by the Administration. How can the Administration preach about creating jobs and then plan to take away a proven policy that sustains jobs? Furthermore, the provision the Administration wants to kill was added in 1984 by Congress to address income inequality by encouraging employee owners to have more income from ownership. It is counter-intuitive. As we’ve said before, research proves that ESOPs, and companies with other forms of employee stock ownership, provide more sustainable employment. The Administration needs to step up and encourage broad-based inclusive capitalism and increase employee ownership to ensure sustainable employment for U.S. workers, and more income for average pay employee owners, not decrease support.”

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The ESOP Association is the national trade association for companies with employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs) and the leading voice in America for employee ownership. The core cause of The ESOP Association is the belief that employee ownership will improve American competitiveness, increase productivity through greater employee participation, and strengthen our free enterprise economy. More information: website - www.esopassociation.org and blog – www.esopassociationblog.org.